Different Context

One odd thing about sports steroids scandals is the how the reaction varies from one sport to the next. Rodney Harrison was suspended in 2007 for steroids, yet he's getting a deal with NBC that would be unthinkable for Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds. Shawne Merriman has none of the outrage surrounding him that Manny Ramirez or A-rod does. And it's not just in baseball and football that the reactions are inconsistent. Track stars and cyclists who use steroids are scum; but boxers who do so come back from the suspensions without any scarlet letter. It makes no sense.